I have heard for years that beekeeper have a lower incidence of arthritis
and other autoimmune diseases than the population at large, but have never
seen any real research on this.  The suggestion is our association with
bees and perhaps the stings we receive are healthful. 
We hear about bee venom therapy – treating disease with bee stings – but
in looking at the Bee-L archives I don’t find any talk about the
preventative effect of bee stings.  When I visited New Zealand I bought
honey laced with bee venom.  The suggestion by the proprietor was that it
worked as a preventative.
I wonder if any of the well-read members of Bee-L can point me in the
direction of any published research on the subject.
Does this contention hold water?  Are we as a group healthier?
As an aside, I just met a woman who has been greatly affected by Lyme
disease and recently tried BVT with excellent results.  She wants to buy
enough bees to last through the winter.  A vexing request.
Larry Krengel
Marengo, IL

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